A Proposal on the Effects of the Use of Pidgin English on Speaking Competency of Students of Senior Secondary School
Chapter One
Objective of the study
The objectives of the study are;
- Find out the extent of Pidgin English usage among secondary schools in Kwara state.
- Determine the factors that inform students’ usage of Pidgin in secondary schools in Kwara state.
- Ascertain the extent of harm done by Pidgin English on the speaking competency of secondary school students in Kwara state.
- . Find out ways to mitigate the effects of Pidgin English on Standard English usage among secondary schools students in Kwara state.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
STANDARD ENGLISH
The notion ‘Standard English’ is somewhat a direct and deliberate invention by the society to create a class and standard for a language. Standardization refers to the process by which a language has been codified in some way. The process usually involves the development of such things as grammars, spelling book, dictionaries and possibly a literature (Wardhaugh: 31). Based on this, Standard English is defined by Trugill (5-6) as ‘that variety of English which is normally taught in schools and to nonnative speakers learning the language. It is also the variety which is normally spoken by educated people and used in news broadcasts and other similar situations.’ 25 Yule (180) also defines Standard English as ‘the variety which forms the basis of print in newspaper and books, which is used in the mass media and in schools … It is the variety normally taught to those who want to learn English as a second language.’ For a language to be standard there must be a referent and a model which that language must follow and this has to be the prescribed grammatical rules of that language. When one fails to follow these prescribed rules, an incorrect grammar is produced and this is in total deviance with the model. Quirk (100) says: ‘Standard English is basically an ideal, a mode of expression that we seek when we wish to communicate beyond our immediate community with members of the nation as a whole or with members of a wider community – English speakers as a whole.’ For a language to be standard, it must pass through a filter. Its usage is not labeled standard merely because it is used and found acceptable by native speakers. The additional criterion is the acceptability of such usages among educated people. Hudson (33) comes up with the criteria or the filter which a language must be sifted before it is said to be standard. These are: ‘selection, codification, elaboration of function, acceptability (by the educated class) and intelligibility (international).’ The grammatical systems of Standard English are linked to the various national, regional and local dialects in a taxonomic way. It is directly tied to the way in which English is used in a particular area. For the purpose of this work, what has been accepted as the Standard English in Nigeria is a rendition devoid of native idioms or loan words from Nigerian dialects. It agrees with the rules of the English syntax and is also grammatical. Any usage either in writing or speech that deviates from the rules of the language is not standard. It encompasses grammar, vocabulary and spelling.
PIDGIN ENGLISH
Pidgin English may be built from words, sound or body languages from multiple languages and culture. There are no rules attached to its usage as long as the parties involved are able to understand each other. Looking at the common traits among various Pidgins, Wilson et al (125 – 126) posit that they are a fundamental simpler form of communication and that the grammar and phonology are usually as simple as possible consisting of -uncomplicated grammatical structure -reduction of syllabus codas -reduction of consonant cluster -no tones, such as those found in West African and Asian languages -separate verbs to indicate terms usually preceding verbs -reduplication to represent plurals, superlative and other parts of speech that represent the concept of being increased -a lack of morphemic variation Hymes (3) pointed out that before the 1930s, pidgin and creoles were largely ignored by linguistics who regarded them as ‘marginal languages’ at best. He further pointed out that Pidgins and Creoles were marginal in the circumstances of their origin, and in the attitudes towards them on the part of those who speak one of the language from which they derive. Their origins have been explained not by historical and social forces, but by inherent ignorance, indolence and inferiority. As languages of those without political and social power, literatures and culture, they could be safely and properly ignored. Wardhaugh (54) says, ‘fortunately, such attitudes are now changing and as linguists pay serious attention to Pidgins and creoles, they are discovering many interesting characteristics about them which appear to bear on fundamental issues to do with all languages, fully fledged and marginal alike. Moreover, pidgins and creoles are invaluable to those who use them. Not only they essential to everyday living but they are also frequently important markers of identity.’ A Pidgin is a language with no native speakers. It is no one’s first language but is a contact language. This means that it is the product of a 28 multilingual situation in which those who wish to communicate must find or improvise a simple language system that will enable them to do so. As Wardhough submits, very often too, that situation is one in which there is an imbalance of power among the languages as the speakers of one language dominate the speakers of the other language economically and socially. A highly codified language often accompanies that dominant position. A pidgin is therefore sometimes regarded as a ‘reduced’ variety of a ‘normal’ language i.e, one of the aforementioned dominant languages, with simplification of grammar and vocabulary of that language, considerable phonological variation and admixture of local vocabulary to meet the special needs of the contact group (58). Holm (4-5) defines Pidgin as ‘a reduced language that results from extended contact between groups of people with no language in common; it evolves when they need some means of verbal communication perhaps for trade, but no group learns the native language of any other group for social reasons that may include lack of trust or of close contact.’ To form a Pidgin, at least three languages are needed to come in contact.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work. The choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the study sought to effects of the use of Pidgin English on speaking competency of students of senior secondary school
CHAPTER FOUR
METHOD OF DATA ANALYSIS
Descriptive survey will be used for the study. The Data will be collated and described. The analysis will demonstrated with tables using SPSS – Statistical Package for Social Science. There are four criteria for the measurement of performance in writing as stipulated by WAEC. These are content, expression, organization and mechanical accuracy. An essay is said to be good if it scores high in all of the above. The school examination scripts were graded. In the process, the presence and/ or effect of Pidgin English in the students’ speaking competency will be identified. A frequency count and description of the Pidgin usages will be provided the data for this study and showed whether or not Pidgin usages affect student speaking competency.
References
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